Cultural Event organized by the Greek Embassy on "The Greek Jews under Nazi occupation: Deportation, Resistance and Survival"

The Embassy of Greece in Israel, in cooperation with the Jewish Museum of Greece and the Museum of History of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv (Beit Hatfutsot), held on November 12 a cultural event entitled "Greek Jews under Nazi Occupation: Deportation, Resistance and Survival. "

The aim of the event was to highlight the tragic fate of the Jewish communities of Greece during the Second World War, and to render service to the Memory: the memory of the people who survived the Holocaust, the memory of those who perished, the memory of those who helped rescue fellow Jews, as well as Memory in general, since forgetfulness often allows the undesirable repetition of history.
As stated by the Ambassador of Greece to Israel, Mr. Spyridon Lampridis, "nobody has the right to forget or forgive for the capital crime against humanity that was committed over seventy years ago, but that is still so relevant in our days."

At the opening of the event, greetings were addressed by Mrs Liora Shani on behalf of the CEO of Beit Hatfutsot, Mr. Dan Tadmor, by the Greek Ambassador to Israel Mr. Lampridis and by the Director of the Jewish Museum of Greece, Ms. Zanet Battinou. This was followed by the lecture of Professor Odette Varon-Vassard on the violent uprooting of Jewish communities from Greece and the consequent loss of the age-long Sefardi tradition, which disappeared together with the 50,000 Jews of Thessaloniki that were taken to the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Treblinka. The lecture also approached the issue of the relatively recent progress made in "tracking" the drama of the Holocaust to the collective consciousness of the Greeks.

The second part of the event consisted of an exhibition about the children of the Jewish community that were saved thanks to the efforts of their fellow countrymen, who hid and fed them in their homes with their families, often endangering their own lives. The Righteous Among the Nations paid a particular tribute to their homeland and to Humanity in general.

The event ended with the screening of the film "Kisses to the Children" by Vassilis Loules, which recounts the story of five children who were rescued by the Germans, carrying the burden of the memory of the millions of other children that did not have a chance to grow up. The dimming outline of the shadow of those who perished continues to haunt them to this day.